Medicinal Plants of Nigeria

Since the publication of Nature Power in the year 2000, there has always been a demand for a subsequent book of this kind, to help readers identify the medicinal plants pictorially. This book aims to serve as a workbook for students, teachers, and practitioners in the field of ethnobotany and ethnomedicine.

It documents the plants that are traditionally used by the local population, the history of local use, and the traditional beliefs around the use in Nigeria. At a time when so much attention is being given to phytochemical screening of plants, there is a temptation to overlook the philosophy of ethnomedicine and cultural use of plants, thereby losing the link between plants and the community.

This plant album will help herbal medicine practitioners to identify the local plants available in Nigeria, and also give them some basic knowledge of the chemical constituents. It is a welcome addition to the existing body of literature on Nigeria’s plants and flora. The chapter on Nigerian grasses, which is a much-neglected area of research, contributes to the book’s uniqueness.